A striking work of Ethiopian cinema fusing traditional oral culture with cinematic poetry and and a classic of the socialist, anti-imperialist Third Cinema movement. Reminiscent of John McGrath’s celebrated ‘The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black, Black Oil’, and highly pertinent to Scotland’s long history of land reform, Gerima’s film tells the story of a family of peasants rising up against their oppressive landlord, situated against the day-to-day rhythms of work and communal storytelling.

This screening was supported by the Africa in Motion Film Festival.